Greenpeace Urges CLP Power to Commit Greenhouse Gases Reduction

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Press release - 2006-11-09

Greenpeace 36 activists stormed CLP Power’s 13 customer service centers (Appendix 1) and gathered at CLP headquarter in Mongkok to present “13 Inconvenient Truths” brought by the corporation to the public (Appendix 2). Greenpeace demands CLP to pledge on the spot greenhouse gas reduction which is not stated in the current corporate climate change strategy, or the group will escalate her action.

Greenpeace's 36 activists stormed CLP Power’s 13 customer service centers and gathered at CLP headquarter in Mongkok to present “13 Inconvenient Truths” brought by the corporation to the public.

The Greenpeace move is also an echo to global action of over 50 countries for the current United Nations conference on climate change in Nairobi, Africa.

Greenpeace activists raided 13 CLP customer service centers at 9 in the morning. 13 activists each wore a large stopwatch helmet to analogize the urgency of climate change and CLP must seize the moment to take action. Each team presented a petition letter and one of the "CLP Inconvenient Truths" at each CLP customer service centers.

At 11am, 13 large stopwatches gathered at the CLP headquarter and displayed a "Times up! Coal down!" banner at the main entrance. Greenpeace campaigner, Gloria Chang, said "CLP should confess to the public when CLP would set a target and timeframe for greenhouse gas reduction."

Greenpeace has started to pressurize CLP since 2003, repeatedly demanding CLP to develop a program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and timetable for phasing out coal-fired generation as well as development of renewable energy (Appendix 3). Although CLP claimed to believe that climate change is a serious matter, unfortunately, it will not give up coal burning investment, and there is no comprehensive plan for greenhouse gas emission reduction.

Gloria Chang stated, "CLP should not delay any further! CLP should commit to reducing burning coal for the public and our earth. Greenpeace is dissatisfied with endless delay. We will consider escalating our action to CLP until CLP give a responsible reply to the public."

The Castle Peak power plant of CLP is one of the world's largest coal-fired generations, and the CLP Group is also the biggest investor-owned utility in Asia. CLP claimed that it is environmentally friendly, but it is also expanding rapidly its coal burning empire outside HK. CLP is the largest local emitter of carbon dioxide, in which it emits 64% of the total carbon dioxide in power generation sector and the emission is increasing.

Carbon dioxide is one of the major greenhouse gases, and the major contributor is coal-fired plants. Hong Kong Observatory concluded that, the "October 2006 was extraordinarily warm", in which the temperature equaled the records set in 1983. CLSA, an equity & security firm, projected that if sea level continued to rise due to global warming, it may bring radical impacts to Hong Kong, including the submergence of a an extensive area of Central and Kowloon, and the economic lost may reach HKD 400billion.